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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. row — a line
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cap — a hat
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. file — a line of people
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. tube — the underground
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cap — a lid
  19. row — to paddle
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. cap — of ice
  22. foot — a measure
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com